Flood-gate.



G. THOMASON.

FLOOD GATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24. 1914.

1,168,128, 7 Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

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'TNTT s GEORGE THOMASON, 0F ADA, OKLAHOMA.

' FLOOD-GATE.

Specification of Letters latent. Patented Jan, 11, 1916.

Application filed March 24, 1914. Serial No. 826,970. 2

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE THOMASON, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Ada, in the county of Pontotoc and State of Oklahoma, have invented new and useful Improvements in Flood-Gates. of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to flood gates, the object of the invention being to provide a gate which may be either partially or wholly submerged in a stream of water, the said gate embodying means for sustaining the same in a vertical position, combined with means controlled by the water level for tripping the gate and allowing the same to move from a vertical to a substantially horizontal or folded position.

Vith the above and other objects in View, the invention consists in the novel constructiom combination and arrangement of parts, as will hereinafter be more fully described illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure l is an elevation of the improved gate look ing toward the upstream side. Fig. 2 is similar view looking toward the downstream side. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross sec tion through the gate structure, showing the gate up in full lines and down in dotted lines.

Referring to the drawings A designates a stringer bar which is shown as comprising a plurality of sections 1 and 2 fastened together and extending atan angle to each other, the section 1 being shown as horizontal and being designed to extend across the bed of a streamin parallel relation thereto while the angular section 2 is inclined at an angle to conform to the angle of the bank of the stream.

Each of the sections 1 and 2 of the stringer is supported by and upon parallel mud sills 3 which are planted in the bed of the stream and connected at their opposite ends by tie bars 4, the tie bars being preferably secured to the upper sides of the mud sills 3. The stringer bar sections 1 and 2 are permanently and fixedly secured to the mud sills 3 and broken stone or other weighty material forming ballast is placed upon said mud sills so as to securely hold the foundation structure in place and form an eflicient anchor for the stringer bars 1 and 2.

T 0 each of the stringer bars is secured a gate adapted to move from a, vertical to a horizontal position and vice versa. This gate is shown as comprising a plurality of sectionsB each of which comprises a bottom rail 5 hinged to the adjacent stringer bar by means of ordinary metal hinges 6 although any form of hinge may be used. Extending upwardly from the bottom rail 5 of each section is a. plurality of parallel pickets 7 which may be connected by aface board 8 extending across all of the pickets of each gate section and of any suitable height as may be found desirable.

Each of the gate sections has connected thereto one or more contractile springs 9, one end of said spring being connected to the gate as shown at 10 while the opposite extremity is connected at 11 to the foundation structure and preferably to one of the tie bars a above referred to and as illustrated in the drawings. The spring serves to draw the gate from a substantially horizontal to a vertical position as indicated in Fig. 4:. Braces 12 are arranged at the opposite side of the gate and are hinged thereto at 13. The free ends of the braces 12 are connected by a buoyant member 14: shown in the form of a cross bar or board which is adapted to be lifted by the water as the water level rises. The board 14: engages notches or shoulders 14 on the mud sills 3 to lock the gate section in upright position. At low water, the braces 12 sustain the gate sections in a vertical position but as the water rises, the buoyant member 14: is lifted so as to disengage the braces 12 and allow the gate to fold to a substantially horizontal position. As the water falls, the springs return the gate sections to a vertical position. Flexible stays 16 are arranged on the opposite side of the gate sections from the springs 9 and serve to prevent the gate sections from moving beyond a vertical position in one direction.

From the foregoing description it'will now be understood that the operation of the gate is automatic and when the water level rises, the sections of the gate are tripped and folded downwardly to a sub-' stantially horizontal position. dvhen the water level again falls to its normal point, the gate sections return to their vertlcal position.

What I claim is In a flood gate structure, the combination of a submerged rail, a gate hinged to said rail and adapted to swing from a hori GEORGE THOMASON.

zontal to a vertical position and vice-versa, a brace for latching said gate in a vertical position, buoyant means: controlled by the Water level for tripping said brace, a spring for raising said gate from a horizontal to a vertical position permitting said brace toperform its function, and means for pi e-- venting the gate from moving beyond a Witnesses:

Z. B. SANDERS, D. W. SWAFFAR.

Copies of this patent may be obtainedfor five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, .D. C. 

